CPI(M) 23rd Congress: Central Committee, Polit Bureau, and Internal Committee Reconstitution
Status: 24/08/2024
Principles of Democratic Centralism in CPI-M Party
The structure of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is founded on the principles of democratic centralism, which entails centralized leadership based on inner-party democracy under the guidance of centralized leadership. The guiding principles of democratic centralism within the CPI (M) are as follows:
- Election of Party Organs: All Party organs from the top to the bottom are elected, ensuring a democratic selection process throughout the Party structure.
- Majority-Minority Relationship: The minority within the Party is obligated to adhere to the decisions of the majority. Similarly, lower Party organizations are required to implement the decisions and directives of higher Party organs, emphasizing the subordination of the individual to the collective will. Furthermore, all Party organizations must comply with the decisions and directives of the Party Congress and the Central Committee.
- Periodic Reporting: Party committees are mandated to periodically report their activities to the Party organization immediately below, establishing a system of accountability and transparency. Lower committees also follow suit by reporting to their immediate higher committee.
- Openness to Opinions and Criticisms: All Party committees, particularly the leading ones, must consistently consider the opinions and criticisms from lower Party organizations and individual members. This highlights the importance of feedback and the inclusion of diverse viewpoints within the Party structure.
- Collective Decision Making: Party committees are mandated to operate strictly based on collective decisions and accountability, balanced with individual responsibility.
- Hierarchy of Decision Making: Issues of international affairs, matters of all-India significance, or those needing uniform decisions for the entire country are decided upon by the all-India Party organizations. Conversely, questions of state or district relevance are typically addressed by the corresponding Party organizations, always in alignment with the decisions of higher Party bodies. In cases where the Central Party leadership needs to decide on a matter of critical state importance, it is generally done after consulting the concerned state Party organization, maintaining a consultative and collaborative approach.
- Policy Decisions: On issues impacting the Party’s all-India policy, the Central leadership holds the authority to make policy statements for the first time. Lower committees are encouraged to submit their opinions and suggestions in due time for consideration by the Central leadership, ensuring a participatory and inclusive approach to policy formulation.
These principles aim to uphold inner-party democracy while preserving a cohesive, centralized leadership within the CPI(M) Party structure.
23rd Congress of CPI(M)
The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was held between April 6th and 10th, 2022, at Kannur, Kerala. During the Congress, an 85-member Central Committee was elected, with one seat left vacant. In addition, three special invitees and two permanent invitees were appointed to the Central Committee.
On April 10th, 2022, at the conclusion of the Congress, the Central Committee convened and elected a 17-member Polit Bureau. Furthermore, Comrade Sitaram Yechury was re-elected as the General Secretary of the party.
Elected Central Committee:
1. Sitaram Yechury
2. Prakash Karat
3. Manik Sarkar
4. Pinarayi Vijayan
5. B. V. Raghavulu
6. Brinda Karat (W)
7. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
8. M. A. Baby
9. Surjya Kanta Mishra
10. Mohd. Salim
11. Subhashini Ali (W)
12. G. Ramakrishnan
13. Tapan Sen
14. Nilotpal Basu
15. V. Sreenivasa Rao
16. M. A. Gafoor
17. Suprakash Talukdar
18. Isfaqur Rahman (N)
19. Lallan Chaudhary (N)
20. Awadesh Kumar
21. K.M. Tiwari
22. Arun Mehta
23. Surender Mallik
24. Onkar Shad
25. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami
26. Prakash Viplavi (N)
27. U. Basavaraj (N)
28. A. Vijayaraghavan
29. PK. Sreemathi (W)
30. E.P. Jayarajan
31. TM Thomas Isaac
32. K.K. Shailaja (W)
33. AK Balan
34. Elamaram Kareem
35. K. Radhakrishnan
36. MV Govindan Master
37. KN Balagopal (N)
38. P Rajeev (N)
39. P Satheedevi (W) (N)
40. CS Sujatha (W) (N)
41. Jaswinder Singh
42. Uday Narkar (N)
43. J.P. Gavit
44. Ali Kishor Patnaik
45. Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon
46. Amra Ram
47. K. Balakrishnan
48. U. Vasuki (W)
49. P. Sampath
50. P. Shanmugam (N)
51. Thammineni Veerabhadram
52. Ch. Sitaramulu
53. G Nagaiah
54. Jitendra Choudhury
55. Agore Deb Barman
56. Rama Das (W)
57. Tapan Chakraborty
58. Narayan Kar (N)
59. Hiralal Yadav
60. Ramachandra Dome
61. Srideep Bhattacharya
62. Amiya Patra
63. Rabin Deb
64. Sujan Chakraborty
65. Abhas Roy Choudhary
66. Rekha Goswamy (W)
67. Anju Kar (W)
68. Samik Lahiri (N)
69. Sumit De (N)
70. Deblina Hembram (W) (N)
71. Ashok Dhawale
72. Jogendra Sharma
73. K. Hemalata (W)
74. Rajendra Sharma
75. Swadesh Dev Roye
76. S Punyavati (W)
77. Muralidharan
78. Arun Kumar
79. Vijoo Krishnan
80. Mariam Dhawale (W) (N)-New: 17
81. A. R. Sindhu (W) (W)-Woman: 15
82. B. Venkat (N)
83. R. Karumalayan (N)
84. K.N. Umesh (N)
85. Vacant
Permanent Invitees
1. Rajinder Negi (Secretary, Uttarakhand state committee)
2. Sanjay Parate (Secretary, Chattisgarh state committee)
Special Invitees
1. S. Ramachandran Pillai
2. Biman Bose
3. Hannan Mollah
Central Control Commission
1. A.K. Padmanabhan
2. M. Vijayakumar
3. Sridhar
4. Malini Bhattacharya
5. S. Veeraiah
The new Central Control Commission met and elected Com. AK Padmanabhan as the new chairperson of the Central Control Commission. He will be an ex officio member of the Central Committee.
Reconstitution of CPI(M) Internal Committee
Following the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the party has reconstituted the Internal Committee (IC) in accordance with its norms. The newly reconstituted Internal Committee is part of the party’s ongoing organizational structure and is essential for its internal functioning. This reconstitution demonstrates the party’s commitment to upholding its established procedures and adapting to new developments.
The reconstituted IC is as follows:
1. Mariam Dhawale, Member Central Committee (Chairperson)
2. V. Muralidharan, Member, Central Committee
3. A.R. Sindhu, Member, Central Committee
4. Vikram Singh
5. Kirti Singh, Advocate (external member)
The first meeting of the newly elected Central Committee elected a 17 member Polit Bureau consisting of:
1. Sitaram Yechury
2. Prakash Karat
3. Pinarayi Vijayan
4. Brinda Karat (W)
5. Manik Sarkar
6. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
7. M. A. Baby
8. Surjya Kanta Mishra
9. Mohd. Salim
10. Subhashini Ali (W)
11. B. V. Raghavulu
12. G. Ramakrishnan
13. Tapan Sen
14. Nilotpal Basu
15. Ramachandra Dome
16. A Vijayaraghavan
17. Ashok Dhawale
It elected Sitaram Yechury as the General Secretary.
